Internet Access in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Abstract

Target 9.c of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for the achievement of universal and affordable internet access by 2020. This note analyzes Sub-Saharan Africa’s progress towards this goal. It finds that (i) rates of internet access reported in household surveys differ markedly and are often lower than the prevailing estimates of internet use reported by the International Telecommunications Union, (ii) internet access in regions outside the capital city tends to be lagging and, (iii) lack of access to electricity is a key barrier constraining access to internet among poor Africans.